Sam Farr: President Obama's message of hope

The atmosphere at the inauguration was electric, that's the only word I can use to describe it. There were smiles all around. The whole country has survived a long election, and in Washington it seemed to last even longer. And there we were, finally, gathered to celebrate our new president. It was a great day.

I think what has struck me most in the last couple weeks is the eagerness to get to work. The first weeks and months of a new Congress are always exciting, but this year has been like no other. Rarely in history has a world leader taken the stage with so many dire problems facing to confront, and I would say never has such a transition taken place with such a broad feeling of hope and eagerness.

If there is one message Americans should take away from President Obama's speech, it's that it's time to get to work, and everyone needs to pitch in. I, for one, am ready to go.